- Period
- Late 5th c.
- Runs
- Deir Semaan to the summit
- On the way
- The triumphal arch, the market court, the triple gateway, the hostel
A pilgrim did not simply turn up at Saint Simeon. They arrived at the foot of the mountain and climbed — and the climb itself was staged in stone, one stage at a time.
First they passed beneath the triumphal arch. Then a broad courtyard opened, with shops around it selling souvenirs to pilgrims — which is to say this road had an economy.
They continued up to the monumental gateway: three entrances set into the enclosure wall. Through it into a large courtyard, then to entrances arranged around a large hostel, which led to a wide open court where pilgrims rested before entering the sanctuary.
Five stages, then, between the foot of the mountain and the column: an arch, a market court, a triple gateway, a courtyard, a hostel and a resting place. Nobody builds that sequence except for large numbers arriving continuously.